A great looking, precise resume, is your KEY to:

What is a resume?

Resumes are what people use to get jobs, right?

Wrong!
A resume is a one or two page summary of your education, skills, accomplishments, and experience. The purpose of your resume, is to get your foot in the door. A resume does its job successfully if it does not exclude you from consideration.
To prepare a successful resume, you need to know how to review, summarize, and present your experiences and achievements on one page. Unless you have considerable experience, you don't need two pages. Outline your achievements briefly and concisely.
Your resume is your ticket to an interview where you can sell yourself!

Resume Essentials:

Before you write, take time to do a self-assessment on paper. Outline your skills and abilities as well as your work experience, achievements and certifications. This will make it easier to prepare a thorough resume.

The Content of Your Resume:

Name, address, telephone, E-mail address, web site address (if you have posted an on-line resume).
All your contact information should go at the top of your resume.
Avoid nicknames.
Use a permanent address.
Use a permanent telephone number and include the area code.
If you have an answering machine, record a neutral greeting.

Objective or Summary:

An objective tells potential employers the sort of work you're hoping to do.

Work Experience:

Briefly give the employer an overview of work that has taught you skills. Use action words to describe your job duties. Include your work experience in reverse chronological order, that is, put your last job first and work backward to your first, relevant job.

Include:

Title of position... Name of organization... Location of work (town, state)... Dates of employment.
Describe your work responsibilities with emphasis on specific skills and achievements.

References:

Ask people if they are willing to serve as references before you give their names to a potential employer.
Do not include your reference information on your resume. You may note at the bottom of your resume: "References furnished on request."